OSCE Mission to Skopje builds police–media trust and co-operation

Representatives from the police and media attend a workshop to promote better relations in Skopje, 15 December 2011. (MoIA/Dragan Gajic) Photo details

Freedom of the media received a lot of attention in Skopje last year following the closure of a TV station and three local newspapers in July.

Both the European Commission and the OSCE have emphasized that improvements in press autonomy are necessary if the country wishes to continue with its process of reforms while advancing comprehensive security in the region.

Hoping to alleviate tensions between the police and the media, the OSCE Mission to Skopje, in co-operation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MoIA), organized a three-day workshop in December that aimed to improve communication and mutual trust between the two parties.

“As a spokesperson, I very much appreciate the efforts of the OSCE for upgrading and improving the work of the public relations offices and of the spokespersons. I hope that the OSCE will continue in its efforts to assist and be a guarantor of the high professionalism of the spokespersons and the police as a whole,” said Stefan Dimoski, a regional spokesperson of the Sector for Internal Affairs in Ohrid.

As a former journalist, Dimoski added that he understood the importance of good communications, and that the relationship between the police and media must be a two-way process.

Workshops promote transparency in policing

The Head of the Mission’s Police Development Department, Viacheslav Vorobiev, said the workshop was a positive step towards the building of a democratic and transparent police force.

“Communication between police and media is of concern in many societies. The spokespersons of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and media representatives had a chance to get together and analyze their roles in the process of presenting information to the public, by going through practical examples during the three-day workshop. It gave an opportunity to solve some of the concerns and develop mutual understanding for the further development of police-media relations”, he said.

Hrizantema Rendevska, a spokesperson for the Sector for Internal Affairs from Strumica, said it was informative to hear the impressions of journalists on their relations with the police.

“It is good when things are said openly, and thus we have a chance to see where there is room for improvement. In this regard, I believe regular meetings are necessary in order to further increase the capacities of both the media and the police,” she said.